Customer Reviews

GENUINE WhiBal G7 Certified Neutral White Balance Card - Studio Kit (3.5"x6")

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Or, more correctly, does exactly as shown on the video. I cannot recommend the manufacturers video highly enough. Having tested the product the lift it gives to my photos is worth every penny of the fairly substantial price.

I already have the equivalent Lastolite product which was only rarely used as it is not convenient to have available at all times. This one I slip into my shirt product and use whenever the lighting conditions alter.

I shoot under a wide variety of lighting conditions and light sources and found myself spending far to much time correcting white balance in post production. After much research I decided on the WhiBal 6x3.5 card. I'm sure the less expensive alternatives work just as well, but I preferred the durable hard plastic composite WhiBal over the cardboard and fabric cards. The size is perfect - large enough to be useful while small enough to fit in my bag. The integrated stand is a nice feature as well.

Functionally, the card just works - easily and accurately. It has made a huge difference in my photos, reducing time in Photoshop and vastly improving the quality of my images right out of the camera. I wish I had purchased one years ago.

Bottom line: Yes, it's pricy, but the hours and aggravation saved in post processing quickly justifies the cost. I plan to also get the small keyring version so I will always have one handy. It's worth every cent to me.

Nature photgraphers will be familiar with the wide range of color illumination in most natural scenes. Shaded areas will be 'cooler' due to the predominant illumination from blue sky, while sunny areas will be 'warmer'. In wooded landscapes, there is often a greenish cast from sunlight filtered through chlorophyll. If you are shooting portraits in any of these conditions, the color balance can have a serious impact on skin tones.

Correct color balance can be obtained in many image editing programs using a 'white balance' tool. The tool generally requires selecting some neutral gray item in the photograph but often enough, a true neutral is frequently unavailable. This is where the WhiBal comes in. A single frame containing the Whibal (before, after or during) a session, can be used to color balance every image in the set.

I find this device to be very important in removing color casts due to variations in color temperature in nature. I recommend the somewhat larger 'studio' (3.5 x 6 ) model for field use; a larger target can be useful if it needs to be palced at a distance from the camera. The WhiBal has several advanateges over other grey cards: 1) Some grey cards are not color neutral, merely 18% reflective, 2) The card is grey throuout, so even if scratched, still works correctly, 3) It is water resistant, so not spoiled by splashes.

Highly recommended! Improves color balance and speeds workflow.

I bought this item specifically through Amazon as there were additional photos of items that were pictured with the card. When I received the white balance card, I did not see the card case or stand that was pictured on the photos. I returned the item to Amazon and received a second one a week later. This one did not have the extra items included either. A call to the company revealed what they had changed. Now the white balance card has a clip that is put on the card to use as a stand and a thin plastic clear cover as the storage case. I was disappointed. The stand that was pictured is better, in my opinion, than the clip they now supply with the card as it looked to be more stable and the card case looks much better than the flimsy plastic that now is included. I returned the second one to Amazon. For the price I think this card is a bit high, considering.

After some research over the internet, I decided to go with WhiBal on Jan. 2010. It worked so well off my first session (a big indoor swim competition in our area) I felt it is one of the magic only professionals can produce. Our top swimmers happened to be white, Asian and black side by side. The accurate reproduction of skin tones plus other photographic attributes in a beautiful swimming pool as the backdrop produced the stunning photograph I will cherish for my whole life.

Words of caution other than you have to set your white balance right at the first place: (1) As time passes, the mixed lighting changes too. You need to re-calibrate your custom white balance. (2) Different spots may need re-calibration too because the mixed lighting is not uniform. (3) Watch out for the lab you use. I actually got the real stunning print from professional lab (I use Bayphoto and ordered no color correction). I compared the print with the real swimming gears, the colors are identical! Before that, I got some prints from 1 hour photo to see the result. I was very disappointed that the automation equalized the skin tone among different races yielding a pleasing, well sun-tanned photograph. (4) there are situations even WhiBal card can not rescue.

This card is useful as an exposure aid - not its intended use, but that's how I use it. It is not as sturdy as advertised, but still much better than cardboard. The Whibal card is a little pricey for what it is.

I now have two of these: the wallet sized one and this one. I'm happy with both. I like that I can white balance my camera with this sized one. My camera white balances on the full frame, not on a spot (wish it would do a spot). Here's my workflow (even as a tourist out and about):

1) White balance my camera using this card held close enough to my lens to fill the frame. This is to get the image close.
2) Shoot my shot with this card in the middle, verifying that there's no glare.
3) Shoot my shot.
4) Upon returning home, open my WhiBal shot and white balance Adobe Camera Raw on the WhiBal (you can use ACR for a .jpg too!)
5) Open my real shot and do a "Use Previous Conversion."

Bam. White balanced.

In description and on pictures you will see CASE and STAND. I ordered this item twice but never got case or stand. Shame for seller. Amazon was perfect with fast support and fast refund.

Before I switched over to Einstein flash units one of these was a MUST to get colors anywhere close to correct. Cheaper flash units vary K values dramatically across their power ranges and It drove me nuts for the longest time while I was learning the basics.

If you want both accurate White balance and a quality Neutral Gray card then buy this product. This card is just the right size so it will fit in most camera bags and the design is outstanding. Don't leave on a photo shoot without it.